Monday, December 29, 2014

I was searching through my school diary to see which secrets I wanted to
share with you. March 1st seemed apt because of the picture.

There’s a problem with the second line of this entry. We have not had it (sewing lesson)for a few weeks. You cannot hear
the joy in those words. My great-grandmother sewed for a living. In her later
years her hands were swollen and mis-shaped from arthritis, curved as if they
were still clutching a needle. The sewing gene wasn’t passed on to me. I
remember those lessons and my hot and sweaty little hands trying to grip the
needle. Miss Tipper used to let me go out of the classroom to wash my hands
under the cold tap but the freezing water didn’t work any magic. I still don’t
like sewing.

To draw a picture of a classroom, or any of my attempts at sewing would have
required the drawing of people so I opted out and added a bit about my brother’s
Meccano set. This is the ‘apt’ bit because Tracy Baines recently gave the LSO
the name of Meccano Man, saying that if he was cut open his heart would look
like it was made of Meccano now that he has so many stents in it.

My music stand? I wanted to play piano but we didn’t have one. When we did
get one my Dad told me not to write about it in my diary. Why? I’m not telling.
Oh, well, maybe later.

Wednesday, December 24, 2014

No. I don't. I'd like to wish you all a happy day every day.
I don't like Christmas and don't celebrate it but if you want to then it's fine by me. Each to their own. I do not understand those people who, on Escape To The Country, want a dining room that will be good for Xmas day. What about the other 364/5 days a year? They are all important so here am I wishing you Happy Days.

Tuesday, December 16, 2014

on his list of blogging
suggestions. So here it comes. The following is from an NHS feed that arrives on
my laptop, and has done since I bought it.

The global surge in ADHD [attention
deficit hyperactivity disorder] diagnosis has more to do with marketing than
medicine, according to experts. .

ADHD is being medicalised – that
is, for a variety of reasons, children who may be simply "naughty"
and high spirited are being misdiagnosed with ADHD, and are wrongly being
treated with powerful medications such as methylphenidate,
better known as Ritalin.

This study concludes that the
"global expansion" of ADHD and its subsequent medicalisation has been
driven by five major causes:

drug industry lobbying

the influence of US-based
psychiatry

the adoption of looser criteria for
diagnosis

the influence of ADHD patient
advocacy groups

the growth of information on the
internet

This is a well-researched and
interesting article which reflects current concerns about the medicalisation of
symptoms that might be viewed as part of the human condition, rather than a
disorder that needs drug treatment.

At the end of this it said it was an opinion piece and not the last word on
this controversial subject. Here’s the last (controversial and maybe even tongue-in-cheek) word from me.

There were a couple of kids when I went to school who would be diagnosed
with ADHD now. They were fortunate and got cured. The Headteacher’s cane worked
a treat.

Wednesday, December 10, 2014

Andy tells
us about the school play. His daughter, four year old Amelia, is a
Townspeoples. (No, I haven’t spelled it wrongly.) He wasn’t too sure what that
meant. He had also thought that the main parts in a nativity play belonged to
Mary and Joseph. Not in this one. The Innkeeper’s Cat stole the show.

Just one of
the many things that have cheered us over the past three days. Colin is now
home after having another three stents. He now has nine in all and has to go
back for another next year. These are keeping his arteries open and his heart
working. Once again the heart ward was full of men who didn’t smoke and weren’t
overweight. Colin’s problem is hereditary.

We have had
so many lovely messages from friends and family. It’s made us realise once
again how lucky we are.

Monday, December 01, 2014

The LSO has a habit of asking me questions when I am in the middle of my
ablutions (good old fashioned word). ‘Why do you always want a conversation
with me when I’m cleaning my teeth?’ I asked him.

His reply – ‘It’s the only chance I get to speak.’

I don’t need subtitles but I love reading them because they hold so many
silly mistakes. How about?

Zoe Ball : ‘That’s a lovely tie.’

Subtitle : ‘That’s a lovely Thai.’

And what about this little gem?

Who or what was meant by Pepsi
cans it? (Find the answer after Sue’s giggle.)

Sue’s giggle blog

A group
of us had just started looking around this stately home. One of
the crowd was looking at a beautiful piece of furniture, a gorgeous chest
of drawers. "Ooh I wonder what it says about this piece," she says,
putting her hand on top and leaning forward to read the notice. She leaps back,
blushing. "Please don't touch the furniture," the notice
proclaimed.

About Me

Why invisible granddaughter? Because I have not yet met my 18 year old granddaughter. This is not a suitable place to go into details but now she is old enough we are in contact. And this blog is for her so that she can join us in our adventures.
Why Sid? That's the name of the motorhome. It's an Elddis which is Siddle spelled backwards hence Sid for short.
Friends complain that their address books are filled with my addresses. I like moving house. Ten years ago I found the perfect solution for this need to be in new places. The Long Suffering One and I bought a motorhome with some of my winnings from being on Deal Or No Deal. Four years later we sold it but we now have another one and are on the move again. In a house I'll wake each morning and ask the LSO, 'What day is it?' Now I can ask, 'What day is it?' And 'Where are we?'